Tip Top Library: Frank Merriwell in the South Seas — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

26 As the Princess steamed into port Mr. Gillette stood on deck eee southward through a glass. ‘*T think,’’ he said, “that 1 can dis- tinguish a faint smoke off there that comcs from Walloa, but the skipper’ thinks she ltes farther away.’ This remark led to some conversation about the exact location of Walloa, and Frank brought a chart from the skipper’s room to consult. Mr. Gillette, Maud, and Frank were still discussing it when the anchor was) latter, with shaking voice. dropped, and a port official came aboard to ask formal questions ‘“We carry no cargo except our own |; provisious,’’ said the yacht owner, ‘‘and | we have stopped here simply for coal. : We are bound for Walloa.”’ “Walloa!’? exclaimed the official in evident surprise. “Ves. We were just trying to shape our course on the chart.”’ “Humph! Your course won’t give you any difficulty, for the location of the isl- and is well known, but when it comes ‘to landing there—well, you’ find that’s another story.’ Why??? ‘The residents of Walloa don’t wel- come whites very cordially.” | C(O! 133 | “Only recently a party of scientists came to grief there.’ “What happened ?” ‘Well, you see, these scientific sharps, they were going over to Walloa to ob- servethe workings of the voleano. They hadn’t the slightest intention of dis- turbing the tre ve who live there——’’ ‘*Maud,”? interrupted Mr. Gillette, ‘e911 you please go to the cabin and see if you can find my eyeglasses ?”’ ‘‘Mayn’t I stay to hear, uncle?” “‘T need my glasses, dear. Please find them.’ The young lady looked disappointed, but tripped away to the cabin, evidently with the intention of hurrying back. The moment she was gone Mr. Gillette took a pair of eyeglasses from a pocket and said, with adry smile: “She won’t find them. I don’t want her to hear anything about the fire wor- FRANK MERRIWELL IN THE SOUTH SEAS. shipers, but I should like to know all you can tell me.”’ (Where isn’t much that I can tell,’ re- sponded the port official. ‘The islanders have kept their own secrets amazingly well for several years, and have succeeded in keeping all visitors away. ‘That they have managed so well is quite likely due to the superior sense of their present chief, a white man.”? Frank and Mr. Gillette exchanged sig- nHicant glances. ‘Whois tts white man?’ asked the “Oh, nobody knows. It was only a year or two ago that his presence on Walloa was discovered. It appears that he has made a regular savage of himself, rand we understand that he’s a kind of high priest or something.” ‘You mean that he is himself a fire worshiper ?’? ‘‘Kither that or that he pretends to be. Anyhow, he controls the tslanders abso- lutely, and since his coming no whites have been allowed to land. ‘The heathen regard Walloa; you know, as a sacred mountain, because it belches forth fire night and day.”? 3 “lve heard something of the kind.” “Tf I were in your place I wouldn’t try to make a landing. You'll have trouble.’ ‘‘What happened to the scientists you spoke of ?? “They got on shore before they were observed. Then the savages discovered them and made an attack. The whites retreated, and found that meantime another party of blacks had gone out to the ship and tried to scuttle her. They did manage to set fire to the ship, and the flames were extinguished with great difficulty. In short, the scientists nar- j|rowly escaped with their lives, and, more by good luck than anything else, held their ship together long enough to reach this port again.’? “T couldn’t find your gtasses, uncle, ”’ said Maud, coming up at this moment. ‘*Never ‘mind, my dear. They were in my pocket. Thank you for your informa- tion, sir. We shall be on our guard.” ‘“What is it about the fire worshipers, uncle?” “Merely that they are suspicious of COMIC DOS (CO